South Korea yesterday shut down two nuclear reactors and delayed the scheduled start of operations at two more, prompting government warnings of “unprecedented” power shortages.
The latest move, part of a widening investigation into a scandal involving parts provided with fake safety certificates, means 10 of the South’s 23 nuclear reactors are currently offline for various reasons.
“Power shortages on an unprecedented scale are feared this summer,” the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said in a statement, adding that replacing suspect parts could take up to four months.
Blackout alerts, triggered automatically when power reserves dip below a certain level, were highly likely and power shortages could be “very serious” in August, it said.
The ministry said it would “strongly” enforce measures to reduce energy consumption, including rescheduling working hours to stagger demand.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye expressed “great concern” about the prospect of power shortages and ordered a full, transparent probe into the case.
“Nuclear power [safety] is a very important issue linked directly with the safety of our people,” she told a Cabinet meeting.
At proper capacity, South Korea’s nuclear reactors supply more than 35 percent of national electricity needs.
The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission said it had shut down two reactors — one at the Gori nuclear complex and another at the Wolseong plant — after learning that both had used parts supplied with forged warranties.
The scheduled resumption of another reactor under maintenance at Gori, and the start of a new reactor at Wolseong were postponed for the same reason, the commission said.
Parts used at all four reactors would have to be replaced, it added.
All parts supplied for use in South Korean reactors require quality and safety warranties from one of 12 international organizations designated by Seoul.
Last year, officials said eight suppliers were found to have faked warranties covering thousands of items used in a number of reactors. Earlier this month six nuclear engineers and suppliers were jailed for their part in the scandal.
Although the suspect parts were “non-core” components that presented no public safety risk, the authorities instigated an inspection of all reactors nationwide.
Yesterday’s ministry statement said further criminal and civil lawsuits would be filed against any organization or individual found to have forged documents.
“Criminal investigation will also be requested for wrongdoing by suppliers, testing agencies and organizations in charge of verification,” including the state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co, it added.
South Korea’s nuclear sector has been dogged by a series of malfunctions, forced shutdowns and corruption scandals that have undermined public confidence.
Despite increasing public concern, the government has vowed to push ahead with its nuclear power program, and plans to build an additional 16 reactors by 2030.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
RIVER TRAGEDY: Local fishers and residents helped rescue people after the vessel capsized, while motorbike taxis evacuated some of the injured At least 58 people going to a funeral died after their overloaded river boat capsized in the Central African Republic’s (CAR) capital, Bangui, the head of civil protection said on Saturday. “We were able to extract 58 lifeless bodies,” Thomas Djimasse told Radio Guira. “We don’t know the total number of people who are underwater. According to witnesses and videos on social media, the wooden boat was carrying more than 300 people — some standing and others perched on wooden structures — when it sank on the Mpoko River on Friday. The vessel was heading to the funeral of a village chief in